# Sonos Beam (Gen 2)

- Source: https://stierproducts.com/products/sonos-beam-gen-2
- Category board: https://stierproducts.com/categories/soundbars
- Placement: #18 of 21 in Soundbars, F tier
- Brand: Sonos
- LP on this board: 118
- Last researched: 2026-10-16T09:51:29.856Z
- Method: https://stierproducts.com/methodology
- Dataset: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22062813 - every board at once, one dated snapshot per release, same licence, prices and photographs left out
- Reuse: Text, rankings, tier assignments, LP values and verdicts are free to quote and reuse with attribution to stierproducts and a link to the source URL (CC BY 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Product photographs are not covered: they belong to their respective owners and are reproduced to illustrate the product being reviewed. Do not redistribute them under this licence.

## Verdict

A 2021 design coasting on guide placements, as Smart Home Sounds' own 2026 reassessment implies. For the same money the AX5140Q or B750F deliver real bass and surround.

## For

- Clear dialogue and compact design praised
- Continues to be recommended years after launch
- Clear dialogue in a small room
- Compact form factor that has made it a go-to recommendation since launch
- Well built with Sonos's long firmware support window

## Against

- five-year-old design still trading on reputation
- lacks real subwoofer bass and surround hardware
- A 2021 design sold unchanged while the market has moved on
- Outclassed by the Sonos Arc Ultra one step up
- Beaten on value by the Hisense HS2100 one step down

## Flagged as one to avoid

This product entered 4 of 16 runs as one buyers cross-shop but should not buy, rather than as a pick. It is published here rather than dropped.

## Evidence

Consolidated from 36 cited sources across 30 outlets

| Outlet | Said by | Stance | Link | Link status |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| LinkedIn | Robert Goldansky 🇵🇱 | C | https://www.linkedin.com/posts/robert-goldansky-2581b82b_sonos-audio-activity-7476506270938767360-rzp_ | fetched and confirmed |
| T3 | t3.com | B | https://www.t3.com/tech/soundbars/i-finally-upgraded-my-sonos-beam-to-a-gen-2-and-i-didnt-think-it-would-be-this-obvious | fetched and confirmed |
| r/Soundbars | u/vertrrr | D | https://www.reddit.com/r/Soundbars/comments/1quqerd/is_sonos_beam_gen_2_a_good_soundbar/ | fetched and confirmed |
| Pcmag | George Yang | B | https://www.pcmag.com/deals/best-buy-deals-of-the-day-take-26-off-the-sonos-soundbar-mar-20 | fetched and confirmed |
| Coolblue | Mieke | B | https://www.coolblue.nl/en/advice/expert-review-of-the-sonos-beam-gen-2.html?srsltid=AfmBOoqQxKR8awjtCnpAPSn9Hb1P12bdKKMINo3KDGrEWgcFs35rgkST | fetched and confirmed |
| Lifewire | lifewire.com | B | https://www.lifewire.com/sonos-beam-gen-2-review-11857169 | fetched and confirmed |
| Seriously Into Audio Since 1974 | crutchfield.com | B | https://www.crutchfield.com/p_051WSSBM1/Reviews/Sanus-WSSBM1-Mount-for-Sonos-Beam-or-Beam-Gen-2-Sound-Bar.html | fetched and confirmed |
| HomeTechnologyReview | hometheaterreview.com | C | https://hometheaterreview.com/vs/amazon-fire-tv-soundbar-plus-subwoofer-vs-sonos-beam-gen-2-soundbar-comparison/ | fetched and confirmed |
| Instagram | - | C | https://www.instagram.com/p/DXkjoLhFxKv/ | fetched and confirmed |
| Smart Home Sounds | - | - | https://www.smarthomesounds.co.uk/blog/sonos/sonos-beam-gen-2-review-is-it-worth-it | fetched and confirmed |
| Brutal Reviews | Brutal Reviews | D | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSg8D-r2oPE | fetched and confirmed |
| World Wide Stereo | World Wide Stereo | B | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggnnFjIXTL4 | fetched and confirmed |
| CNET | Ty Pendlebury | - | https://www.cnet.com/tech/home-entertainment/how-to-buy-a-soundbar/ | fetched and confirmed |
| SXM Audio Picks | SXM Audio Picks | C | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9NMV0dnpn8 | fetched and confirmed |
| Smart Home Sounds | Smart Home Sounds | B | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcBnzoU9Y-4 | fetched and confirmed |
| OASTHAR | OASTHAR | B | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHq3qxAjJg8 | fetched and confirmed |
| A2K | A2K | B | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsSJ0N4yvWc | fetched and confirmed |
| What Hi-Fi? | whathifi.com | B | https://www.whathifi.com/tv-home-cinema/soundbars/the-sonos-beam-gen-2-deserves-its-latest-what-hi-fi-award-but-ive-got-a-small-complaint | fetched and confirmed |
| RTINGS Home Theater | RTINGS Home Theater | C | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zGGlkRXZJY | fetched and confirmed |
| GregglesTV | GregglesTV | B | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ixh9CBu-FcY | fetched and confirmed |
| My Tech Gear | My Tech Gear | B | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7w4R8nmKQ8 | fetched and confirmed |
| YO MINUS | YO MINUS | B | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2OoC3nA70o | fetched and confirmed |
| Truthify | Truthify | B | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-AZ-se2pM0 | fetched and confirmed |
| TecPICKS | TecPICKS | B | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fFq4Wl_zZM | fetched and confirmed |
| Gadget droid | Gadget droid | B | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuOSwb08BHg | fetched and confirmed |
| Eurogamer.net | Eurogamer.net | B | https://www.eurogamer.net/save-24-percent-on-the-brilliant-sonos-beam-gen-2-from-amazon | fetched and confirmed |
| Which is Better | Which is Better | B | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBUENFbaFDw | fetched and confirmed |
| The Telegraph | telegraph.co.uk | B | https://www.telegraph.co.uk/recommended/tech/best-soundbar/ | fetched and confirmed |
| BYSIGHT | BYSIGHT | B | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNNZ5flziO8 | fetched and confirmed |
| Gadget droid | Gadget droid | B | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eG_tHKqBjDU | fetched and confirmed |
| What Hi-Fi? | whathifi.com | B | https://www.whathifi.com/best-buys/home-cinema/best-soundbars | fetched and confirmed |
| What Hi-Fi? | whathifi.com | B | https://www.whathifi.com/best-buys/best-budget-soundbars | fetched and confirmed |
| Mashable | Christina Buff | B | https://mashable.com/article/oct-10-sonos-beam-gen-2-deal | fetched and confirmed |
| What Hi-Fi? | whathifi.com | B | https://www.whathifi.com/tv-home-cinema/soundbars/jbl-bar-300mk2-vs-sonos-beam-gen-2-which-dolby-atmos-soundbar-should-you-buy | fetched and confirmed |
| Gadget droid | Gadget droid | B | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLFh_6gKbck | fetched and confirmed |
| Yahoo Tech | Robyn Quick | B | https://tech.yahoo.com/audio/articles/sonos-harman-kardon-head-head-144025296.html | fetched and confirmed |

## Nearest alternatives on this board

| Rank | Product | Tier | Page |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | Samsung HW-Q990F | S | https://stierproducts.com/products/samsung-hw-q990f |
| 2 | Samsung HW-Q990H | S | https://stierproducts.com/products/samsung-hw-q990h |
| 13 | Sony Bravia Theatre System 6 | C | https://stierproducts.com/products/sony-bravia-theatre-system-6 |
| 14 | Bose Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar | C | https://stierproducts.com/products/bose-lifestyle-ultra-soundbar |
| 15 | Focal Mu-so Hekla | C | https://stierproducts.com/products/focal-mu-so-hekla |
| 16 | Marshall Heston 120 | F | https://stierproducts.com/products/marshall-heston-120 |
| 17 | Bose Smart Soundbar 600 | F | https://stierproducts.com/products/bose-smart-soundbar-600 |
| 19 | Sony HT-G700 | F | https://stierproducts.com/products/sony-ht-g700 |
| 20 | Sonos Ray | F | https://stierproducts.com/products/sonos-ray |
| 21 | Sony HT-S100F | F | https://stierproducts.com/products/sony-ht-s100f |

The full board is at https://stierproducts.com/categories/soundbars.

## What this tier means

- F: Avoid. The evidence points you elsewhere.

## How to read this

- Each category is researched in four independent runs, one per lens (expert consensus, value, reliability, community pulse). Every run ranks a board of candidates that deliberately includes products buyers cross-shop but should avoid. Placements score on a ranked ladder (LP), and tiers are derived from LP, so no tier is ever assigned by hand.
- LP is this product's points on its own category ladder. It is comparable within a category and not across categories.
- Link status reports what our pre-publication link check found when it fetched the cited URL. It says nothing about the quality of the review.
- A citation with no usable link is listed rather than dropped, and is excluded from the counted total above.

## Image

https://stspimgdevmfyk46r5vwkay.blob.core.windows.net/images/products/sonos-beam-gen-2.webp

Product photographs are not covered: they belong to their respective owners and are reproduced to illustrate the product being reviewed. Do not redistribute them under this licence.